The Power of Stepping Outside

When children step into nature, something remarkable happens. They slow down, listen differently, and start to see how everything is connected — from the trails beneath their feet to the people walking beside them.

Our Kids in Nature program (October 14–15) invited students to explore a nearby state park after school — an experience designed not just for recreation, but for restoration. For many of our participants, it was their first time hiking on a trail or identifying plants up close.

These small moments matter. Research from the American Institutes for Research shows that youth who spend consistent time outdoors demonstrate 27% higher problem-solving skills and greater self-esteem compared to peers without access to nature-based learning.

For children navigating complex home or school environments, outdoor learning provides a natural form of regulation. It helps reduce stress, improve attention span, and encourage teamwork — all protective factors linked to violence prevention and emotional resilience.

When youth have access to green spaces and consistent mentoring, studies show they experience lower levels of aggression and higher academic engagement. In other words: when children feel grounded, they thrive — and when they thrive, communities grow stronger.

Experiences like these remind us that prevention begins long before intervention — in the spaces where curiosity, creativity, and belonging take root.

By connecting children to nature and the arts, we’re not just enriching their afternoons — we’re planting the foundations of safer, more compassionate communities. Prevention doesn’t always look like a program or a policy; sometimes it looks like laughter echoing through the woods.